as I get mine; so I agree to put the tiamonts in at a price. The
American, he says, is to come over about a big company deal, and when it
is through he will pay well. So last week I pring a peautiful
collection all cut but unset, and I wait out in that room while Denson
shows them to his customer."

"You mean you let them out of your sight?"

"Yes--that is not so uncommon; reg'lar pishness. You see I was out
here--this is the only way out. Denson was in the inner office with the
stones and the American. Neither could get out without passing here. And
I had done pishness with him alretty."

"Well?"

"You see I wait downstairs with my case--this case--till Denson sends
down. He doesn't want me to show--fery natural, you see, in pishness.
When I sell to make a profit, perhaps for somebody else, I don't want
that somebody to know my customer, else he sells direct and I lose my
profit--fery natural. See?"

"Of course, I understand. It's a point of business among you gentlemen
to keep your own customers to yourselves. And often, no doubt, diamonds
pass through several hands before reaching the eventual customer,
leaving a profit in each."

"Always, Mr. Hewitt--always, you might say. Well, you see, Denson sends
down that his customer is in, and I come up. Denson comes out from the
inner office, takes my case, and I wait in there."

The case which Samuel showed Hewitt was of black leather, perhaps
eighteen inches long by a foot wide. The arrangement of the office was
simple. In this, the outer room, a small space was partitioned off by
means of a ground glass screen, and it was in there that Samuel meant
that he had waited.

"Well, he took the case in, and I could hear some sound of talking--but
not much, you see, the door being shut. After a time the door opens and
I hear Denson say: 'Very well, think over it; but don't be long or
you'll lose the chance. Excuse me while I put them back in the safe.'
Then he shuts the door and brings the case to me and goes back. But of
course I stay till I haf looked very carefully through all the tiamonts,
in the different compartments of the case, in case one might haf dropped
on the floor, or got changed, you know. That is pishness."

"Just so. And they were all right?"

"All right and same as the list--I know well a tiamont that I haf seen
once. So I go away, and afterwards Denson tells me that the American
liked much the stones but wouldn't quite come up to price. That, of
c